James Edward McGrory was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic and Clydebank as a forward and then went on to manage Kilmarnock before returning to Celtic as manager after the end of the Second World War.
30 Facts About Jimmy McGrory
2.
Jimmy McGrory is the all-time leading goalscorer in top-flight British football with a total of 550 goals in 547 competitive first-team games at club and international level.
3.
Jimmy McGrory has notched up a British top-flight record of 55 hat-tricks, 48 coming in League games and 7 from Scottish Cup ties.
4.
Jimmy McGrory was the son of Henry McGrory and Catherine Coll, both of whom were Irish Catholic immigrants from Ulster.
5.
Jimmy McGrory's elder brother was born in St Johnston before the family left for Glasgow.
6.
In 2013, St Roch's renamed their ground in honour of Jimmy McGrory, changing it from Provanmill Park to The James Jimmy McGrory Park.
7.
Jimmy McGrory finished his first full season at Celtic with 30 goals.
8.
Jimmy McGrory started the season well, twice scoring four goals and twice scoring five, and by New Year had only one less goal League goal than the previous season's final tally of 35.
9.
Jimmy McGrory had accepted a paid holiday invitation from Celtic to make a pilgrimage to the shrine at Lourdes, as a guest of Celtic manager Willie Maley.
10.
Jimmy McGrory scored a total of 53 League and Scottish Cup goals in 42 games that season, and a further nine goals in the Glasgow Cup brought his tally up to a total of 62 goals for the season.
11.
Jimmy McGrory spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a very bad injury in an appearance for the Scottish League XI at Villa Park in November 1928.
12.
Injuries were by now starting to take their toll on Jimmy McGrory, who was always a regular target for some brutal 'defending'.
13.
Celtic scored 101 goals in the process, with Jimmy McGrory helping himself to a very credible 36 of them in only 29 games.
14.
Jimmy McGrory was allowed to leave Celtic in December 1937 to become the manager of Kilmarnock, on the condition that he retired from playing.
15.
Jimmy McGrory gained a total of seven caps for the Scottish national team, scoring six goals.
16.
Jimmy McGrory became something of a scapegoat, waiting over three years for his full international recall.
17.
The press were critical of the Scottish players individually and collectively, and Jimmy McGrory was one of five in the Scotland team who were not selected for international duty again.
18.
Jimmy McGrory played in six Inter-League matches in all, scoring 6 times.
19.
Jimmy McGrory's trademark was an almost horizontal, bullet header, which he performed and scored regularly from and which earned him his nicknames, of the "Human Torpedo" and the "Mermaid".
20.
Jimmy McGrory became the first full-time manager of Kilmarnock in December 1937.
21.
Jimmy McGrory led Kilmarnock to the Scottish Cup Final, knocking both Celtic and Rangers out en route.
22.
Jimmy McGrory was kept on officially as manager, but had virtually nothing to do.
23.
Jimmy McGrory duly travelled to Glasgow to speak with him, and was offered the job as manager of Celtic.
24.
On 24 July 1945, Jimmy McGrory returned to Parkhead to manage Celtic.
25.
Jimmy McGrory had previously worked throughout Europe, notably Hungary, and spent six years as the English FA's coach.
26.
The game and Jimmy McGrory are remembered in the supporters' song "Hampden in the Sun".
27.
Jimmy McGrory is remembered in another popular song amongst the supporters named after his manager, the "Willie Maley Song".
28.
Jimmy McGrory was manager for nearly 20 years, before Jock Stein succeeded him in March 1965.
29.
Jimmy McGrory is the all-time leading goalscorer in top-flight British football with a total of 550 goals in 547 competitive games.
30.
Jimmy McGrory has notched up a British top-flight record of 55 hat-tricks, 48 coming in League games and 7 from Scottish Cup ties.